In the biblical Book of Genesis, Noah first sent a raven from the Ark after the Flood began to recede.
Genesis 8:7 says that Noah released the raven, which flew back and forth until the waters dried from the earth. The raven was the first bird used to test whether the land had become habitable again.
Noah then sent a dove on separate occasions. The dove returned because it found no resting place, later came back with a freshly plucked olive leaf, and finally did not return. This sequence is why the raven and dove are often confused in retellings.
The raven is also significant in wider biblical literature: ravens appear in several other passages, including the account of Elijah being fed by ravens. Genesis does not say that the raven brought Noah any object; that detail belongs to the dove’s olive leaf.